Jay Olson’s new site advises when to look for light to reduce fatigue

By Kelli Gustafson
Photos by Mark Burnham

SFU researcher Jay Olson has been making international headlines recently after launching a website to prevent jet lag.
The website, Jet Lag Rooster, was launched on Jan. 1, 2013. The Rooster allows the user to create a “jet lag plan,” simply by entering their departure and arrival city. The website then calculates a plan prescribing specific times of light exposure prior to departing. “Jet lag occurs when your body clock isn’t in sync with your environment,” Olson told The Peak during a recent interview. “Some researchers have found that if you expose your body to light at certain times, you can shift your body clock, and if you shift your body clock prior to flying, you can reduce or prevent jet lag.”

Olson first learned of using light exposure to reduce jet lag while he was studying psychology at SFU. He came up with the idea for the website after taking a trip to Greece years ago. “I spent the first week there completely jet lagged” said Olson. Olson’s own experience with jet lag is what motivated him to create a strategy that monitors light exposure in order to avoid jet lag.

Circadian rhythms are the biological rhythms within the body that prompt changes, such as body temperature and wakefulness. Light exposure is the most effective way to alter these rhythms. Olson applied this knowledge to create a method that calculates when to seek and avoid light in order to adjust one’s “body clock” to fit a new time zone. “The general thought is you just shift your schedule for when you land,” Olson stated.

However, this may cause greater problems contributing to jet lag. “If you happen to be exposed to light at the wrong times, [many] people become jet lagged for weeks, and their body clock just won’t shift. . . . It’ll start shifting one way and back or the other way and back.” Olson’s website presents a simple method which informs travelers when to seek and avoid light prior to traveling or upon arrival, thus preventing or lessening the effects of jet lag. Along with monitoring light exposure, Olson also recommends that travelers drink plenty of water during their flight and avoid caffeinated beverages. Apart from adjusting light exposure to avoid travel fatigue, Olson advised, “Drink a lot of water on the plane, and eat fruit.”